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Fir and beech charcoal quantification by size (0.8 and 2 mm) for both sampling points (Lacore 1 and 2). Results are expressed in fragment number and mass milligrams.
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This paper focuses on past woodland changes and land uses in an ancient mining area of the Eastern Pyrenees (Ariège, France). The area discussed is located at the western entrance of the Vicdessos, a valley with significant steel production, and it is crossed by the road used from the 14th c. to the end of the 18th c. for the iron-charcoal exchange...
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Context 1
... 13th c. cal AD and the beech fragment from the 17 th -20th c. cal AD (Table 2, Fig. 4). In total, 6 taxa have been identified: Abies alba type, Fagus sylvatica, Taxus baccata, Vaccinium (V. myrtillus and/or uliginosum), undeterminable Angiospermae and Gymnospermae (Table 3, Fig. 4). Most charcoals extracted and identified are from the 0.8 mm mesh (Fig. 8). The data expressed in relative frequencies show the codominance of Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica in all superficial sampling levels from both pits, without taking into account the undeterminable. In Lacore 1, tiny twigs from deciduous species largely dominate in the lower level. Bilberry and yew have been found only in the two ...
Context 2
... found only in the two superficial levels. In Lacore 1, the beech slightly dominates and it is outclassed by fir in Lacore 2. This observation is somewhat different for data from each mesh expressed as absolute frequencies: fir dominates in the 0.8 mm mesh from the Lacore 1 level II but beech dominates in the 2 mm mesh from the Lacore 2, level I (Fig. 8). The Specific taxonomic Anthracomass per Taxon (SAT) shows the beech dominance in all superficial levels (Fig. 4). These data could suggest a differential fragmentation of both main taxa. Beech, which has fewer fragments from 0.8 to 2 mm meshes (Lacore 2), has higher masses (Fig. 8). Both taxa are impacted by vitrification phenomenon ...
Context 3
... but beech dominates in the 2 mm mesh from the Lacore 2, level I (Fig. 8). The Specific taxonomic Anthracomass per Taxon (SAT) shows the beech dominance in all superficial levels (Fig. 4). These data could suggest a differential fragmentation of both main taxa. Beech, which has fewer fragments from 0.8 to 2 mm meshes (Lacore 2), has higher masses (Fig. 8). Both taxa are impacted by vitrification phenomenon with no significant difference between proportions of fir and beech fragments vitrified (Table 3). In the same way, hyphae are present in both taxa, but the beech is more affected by wood rotting-fungi (Table ...
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Citations
... Since the 1990s, CH remains have been a privileged subject of study for various disciplines, such as anthracology, environmental geography, historical geography, landscape ecology, environmental archaeology, pedology, agronomy, and forestry (Davasse 1998;Carrari et al. 2018;Dubois and Métailié 2001;Dubois et al. 1997;Krebs et al. 2017;Ludeman et al. 2017;Pescini et al. 2018;Py-Saragaglia et al. 2017;Oguntunde et al. 2008). Often strongly linked with archaeometallurgy, studies on CH remains helped to reconstruct past woodland composition, forest management, charcoal burning practices, and tree line variations (Deforce et al. 2013;Knapp et al. 2015;Nelle et al. 2003;Montanari et al. 2002). ...
This contribution presents interdisciplinary research on charcoal hearth remains carried out at Poggio di Montieri, Central Italy, a hill heavily exploited in the Middle Ages for the extraction of silver-bearing ore, and then managed until the nineteenth century with a multiple land use system based on pasture. Linking together pedological and archaeological surveys with anthracological, dendro-anthracological and chemical analyses, as well as with information from historical texts and maps, this research outlines the environmental dynamics that occurred in this area in the last few centuries. Although ore processing undoubtedly required large quantities of charcoal as fuel, no evidence of charcoal hearth remains from
the Middle Ages have been found, while at least two charcoal production phases, starting from the seventeenth century, were individuated. Despite an increase in charcoal production at the end of the last phase, in the eighteenth–nineteenth centuries, no overexploitation of the forest resources at Poggio di Montieri was documented. The lack of such an expected over-exploitation could be due to the use of wood from pruning and shredding, which allowed the sustainable management of the forest resource and was the legacy of the multiple land use systems of previous centuries.
... The persistence of silver fir in the area of Lago del Pesce until modern times could be the legacy of past land-use priorities as argued in Mensing et al. (2020). Several authors have agreed that nonclimate factors such as frequent fires, ungulate grazing/browsing, intensive harvesting (e.g., clear-cutting, coppicing, selective extractions, short regeneration period) were major drivers of silver fir population contraction (Büntgen et al., 2014;Di Pasquale et al., 2014;Dobrowolska et al., 2017;Morales-Molino et al., 2020;Py-Saragaglia et al., 2017;Rey et al., 2019;Ruosch et al., 2016;Tinner et al., 2013;Valsecchi et al., 2010;Vitasse et al., 2019). Moreover, in modern times, emissions of acidic sulfates and nitrates have aggravated the shrinking trend of silver fir populations (Büntgen et al., 2014). ...
In the context of global decline in old‐growth forest, historical ecology is a valuable tool to derive insights into vegetation legacies and dynamics and develop new conservation and restoration strategies. In this cross‐disciplinary study, we integrate palynology (Lago del Pesce record), history, dendrochronology, and historical and contemporary land cover maps to assess drivers of vegetation change over the last millennium in a Mediterranean mountain forest (Pollino National Park, southern Italy) and discuss implications in conservation ecology. The study site hosts a remnant beech–fir (Fagus sylvatica–Abies alba) mixed forest, a priority habitat for biodiversity conservation in Europe. In the 10th century, the pollen record showed an open environment that was quickly colonized by silver fir when sociopolitical instabilities reduced anthropogenic pressures in mountain forests. The highest forest cover and biomass was reached between the 14th and the 17th centuries following land abandonment due to recurring plague pandemics. This rewilding process is also reflected in the recruitment history of Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) in the subalpine elevation belt. Our results show that human impacts have been one of the main drivers of silver fir population contraction in the last centuries in the Mediterranean, and that the removal of direct human pressure led to ecosystem renovation. Since 1910, the Rubbio State Forest has locally protected and restored the mixed beech–fir forest. The institutions in 1972 for the Rubbio Natural Reserve and in 1993 for Pollino National Park have guaranteed the survival of the silver fir population, demonstrating the effectiveness of targeted conservation and restoration policies despite a warming climate. Monitoring silver fir populations can measure the effectiveness of conservation measures. In the last decades, the abandonment of rural environments (rewilding) along the mountains of southern Italy has reduced the pressure on ecosystems, thus boosting forest expansion. However, after four decades of natural regeneration and increasing biomass, pollen influx and forest composition are still far from the natural attributes of the medieval forest ecosystem. We conclude that long‐term forest planning encouraging limited direct human disturbance will lead toward rewilding and renovation of carbon‐rich and highly biodiverse Mediterranean old‐growth forests, which will be more resistant and resilient to future climate change.
... This finding is contradictory to other studies that concluded wood from autumn and winter harvesting was preferred for charcoal production (e.g. Py-Saragaglia et al., 2017;Fouédjeu et al., 2021a). In the Czech lands, winter harvest was preferred for construction purposes (Kolář et al., 2022). ...
Charcoal piles have become a frequent subject of research in recent years as a better understanding of past human activities in forests is sought. The age of charcoal piles is usually determined by radiocarbon dating; dendrochronology is rarely used because of the small size of preserved charcoal remains and the insufficient number of visible tree rings. This paper presents the potential for dendrochronological and ¹⁴C method in research into charcoal piles. From 14 charcoal-burning sites in the Czech Republic, 214 pieces of charcoal were anatomically identified at the genus level and dendrochronologically analysed. Our results show that fir dominated in these charcoal remains, followed by oak, beech, spruce and pine. With an overall dendrochronological dating success of 24%, fir charcoal was dated most often (65%) with measurable tree rings ranging from 14 to 90. The oldest charcoals were dendrochronologically dated to summer 1682 CE; conversely, the youngest had end dates in the second half of the 19th century. The relatively poor dating success of oak charcoal very likely resulted from the use of branches for charcoal production rather than tree trunks. Based on an analysis of selected charcoal samples, we confirm that radiocarbon dating provided a very wide range of dates in the post-1650 CE period and the use of the wiggle-matching method was usually challenging because of short TRW series. Based on samples with preserved waney edges, we conclude that charcoal was more commonly made from wood felled in the summer than in the winter. Despite the relatively low level of success of dendrochronological dating, it seems more effective for dating charcoal than the ¹⁴C method, especially with samples from the last 350 years.
... Historically, the use and transformation of metal ores increased the demand of fuel for smelting processes that needed high temperatures. This necessity had increased impacts on the exploitation of woodland resources ( Figure 1) since pre-historic times with the growing demand for fuel , Py-Saragaglia et al. 2017, Rochel 2017. This long lasting activity left evidences across woodlands over Europe being an important archive to understand woodland dynamics over space and time , Hardy et al. 2016, Bonhage et al. 2020b, Buras et al. 2020). ...
Wood was (and still is) a key resource in human societies by being a source of energy in the (proto-) industrial development from the Middle-Ages to the emergence of fossil energy. Charcoal kilns, the most visible traces of charcoal production activity, are widespread and preserved in forest areas being an important source of information about former woodland exploitation. Thus, a multidisciplinary study of charcoal production in lowland area in Meuse (NE France), including contributions from anthracology, image analysis, history, soil and vegetation sciences permits to have an integrative overview of the impacts and legacies of the activity on the environment.
Platform quantification was performed according LiDAR data, by comparing both man-made and automatic detection. Expert-based detection was more precise and the algorithm-based detection one was able to find more structures. We also showed that field validation was an important step to refine the quality of detection performed by digital approaches.
Results of charcoal analysis of the 48 sampled charcoal kilns revealed the occurrence of 12 taxa with the dominance of Carpinus betulus, representing two thirds of the diversity observed. Dating results, from radiocarbon and Optically-Stimulated Luminescence, suggest that the activity took place, most likely, throughout the 1800s until the beginning of the 1900s. By conjugating evidences from diameter estimation of charcoal pieces and historic written records, a coppice-with-standards management regime was in place at the time of charcoal production where standards (mostly Quercus and Fagus) were favored to become the timber resources, and coppiced (Carpinus) was harvested in shorter rotation cycles.
The soils analysis show that soil structure was also impacted by construction and operation of charcoal kilns. Also, analyses of soils around kilns revealed differences by an increasing concentration of elements when compared to outer references. Additionally, results from the vegetation survey also reflected a higher species richness in the plots on the platform when compared to the external references.
This work provided an integrative analysis of the charcoal production process from the past influences to the present-day effects on the temperate lowland forest ecosystems. The results obtained have got various implications of several fields of research such as paleoecology, forest ecology and pedology, concerning ecological trajectories and ecosystem legacies.
... The few existing studies regarding exploitation techniques in prehistoric mines are mainly focused on mineralogical and chemical alterations of the rock, the used fuel, the achieved temperatures, the gradient temperature inside the rock, the procedures, the study of tools and charcoal finds, as well as experimental simulation [2,5,8,9]. A different approach was applied to the prehistoric mines of the French and Austrian Alps, including anthracological and dendrochronological analysis of wood remains, in order to evaluate the chronology of the exploitation and the impact of the mining economy in the region [5][6][7]10]. ...
Modern mining activities often leads to destruction of archaeological records, making difficult to date the contexts and tools. In this work, a prehistoric mine with “fire-setting” techniques evidence was used to demonstrate the relevance of luminescence protocols to identify and date ancient mining activities. Chemical and mineralogical studies complemented the dosimetric ones by means of luminescence protocols. One of the samples shows lower absorbed dose suggesting heating procedures, like “fire-setting” and its luminescence age, determined by SAROSL, points to copper exploitation during the Middle/Late Bronze Age at La Turquesa mine, in accordance with archaeological records.
... Part of this microcharcoal input might be related to charcoal production, probably in the direct vicinity of the Siegmoos bog (cf. Py-Saragaglia et al., 2017). Charcoal would have been in high demand during all prehistoric mining phases as it was a prerequisite for casting, recasting and smithing of tools (Reschreiter et al. 2018). ...
... In addition, micro charcoal input might also result from pasture management practices, i.e. the use of fire to keep pastures encroached on the forest free from shrubs (cf. Py-Saragaglia et al., 2017). ...
... Finally, we suggest that the model of low impact of early mining systems on tree cover needs to be revisited in future. In particular woodland management strategies such as pollarding and coppicing, which allow for a high level of leaf and wood harvest on tree species such as beech or hazel and do not impact visibly on the pollen record, need to be considered carefully (Billamboz and Köninger, 2008;Bleicher: 42-46, 162-163, 2009;O'Brien: 273-275, 2015;Py-Saragaglia et al., 2017). ...
Throughout time, salt has played a crucial role in societies representing one of the most precious natural raw materials that can be extracted from the environment. The Austrian Alps are home to the world's oldest and extensively studied record of large-scale underground salt mining: the UNESCO World Heritage site Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut. In this study, we focus for the first time on the impact that the salt extraction had on the vegetation and the environment throughout the millennia, presenting the first paleoecological data for the mining area, which have been obtained from a peat bog located near the mines. Our study indicates that salt extraction started already in the 4th mil BCE, and phases with the highest impact on the vegetation are documented in the Bronze Age (around 1350 BCE) and the Modern Era (15th-19th century CE). Our record also reveals an environmental awareness of the miners, as natural resources of the region were never depleted in order to provide material needed for the mines (construction materials, subsistence goods, etc.).
... However, in the northern hemisphere, the study of CK remains, which testify to a major development of charcoal manufacturing in the last centuries, i.e. between the seventeenth and nineteenth century (Davasse, 2000;Allée et al., 2010;Ludemann, 2010;Strachan et al., 2013;Raab et al., 2015;Dupin et al., 2017;Karimi Moayed et al., 2020) always faces the major issue that is the weak accuracy of dating obtained since the 1650s (Davasse, 2000;Strachan et al., 2013;Py-Saragaglia et al., 2017;Deforce et al., 2020;Karimi Moayed et al., 2020). Poor accuracy leads to strong wiggles in the calibration curve creating a "radiocarbon plateau", which are aggravated first by the "De vries effect", i.e. high-frequency preindustrial secular variations in 14C activity and secondly, by the "Suess-effect", i.e. the dilution of atmospheric 14C levels resulting from the widespread burning of fossil fuels since the beginning of the 1900s (coal, gas, oil) (De Vries, 1958, De Vries, 1959Stuiver, 1961;Tans et al., 1979). ...
... In order to increase the length of ring chronologies, it is therefore necessary to sample a higher number of charcoal fragments (Blondel et al., 2018). Moreover, the progress of formation of terminal tree-ring (early wood, late wood) on charcoal fragments that kept their bark is also highly valuable to identify the felling season and thus reconstruct the seasonality of wood harvesting practices (Py-Saragaglia et al., 2017;Fouédjeu et al., 2019). ...
Numerous charcoal kiln remains can still be found throughout the world, evidencing wood harvesting related to former industries. These remains represent effective sources and tools for studying (i) pre-industrial pressures on forest resources and (ii) past strategies related to woodland management. However, radiocarbon dating (AMS), which is the main tool to reconstruct the chronology of past charcoal manufacturing activity, doesn’t provide sufficiently accurate dating, especially for the post-1650 period, due to the broad probability range of the dates resulting from wiggles in the calibration curve. In order to overcome the radiocarbon dating limitation and therefore refine the chronology of modern charcoal manufacturing, this paper proposes to apply an integrated approach combining archaeology, micromorphology, anthracology and dendrochronology. To characterise the archaeological record of a target charcoal kiln terrace from the “Forêt de Bernadouze”, located in a historical iron production valley of the Northern Pyrenees, we combined classical stratigraphic analysis with a micromorphological study. The results highlight the multiperiod nature of the terrace, i.e. a palimpsest of multiple charcoal production episodes, revealing two major phases marked by an abandonment period between them. Subsequently, we constructed a beech charcoal-ring (n=49) chronology cross-dated with the new “Forêt de Bernadouze” reference chronology from freshly felled, living beech trees (n=24) to obtain the annual resolution of charcoal ring formation. Based on the new reconstructed master chronology covering the 1879-2016 period, we were able to calibrate the charcoal-ring chronology for the 1881-1941 period. Consequently, we (i) dated the charcoal production activity performed on the target terrace during the 1924-1942 period and (ii) identified a shift in the rate of use of the terrace, from one-off to high-intensive use. This study also provides new insights regarding (i) the particular nature of the archaeological record and (ii) the operating and timing of past charcoal-making practices in connection with silvicultural treatments.
... Today, the remains of CPSs are commonly found throughout Europe, under various terms such as platforms or charcoal hearths; Ludemann 2010Knapp et al. 2013, 2015Fruchart 2014;Schmidt et al. 2016;Carrari et al. 2017;Dupin et al. 2017). In order to assess the history of industrial development (Py-Saragaglia et al. 2017), as well as the ecological consequences upon woodland composition from past timber extraction (Ludemann et al. 2004;Ludemann 2010Ludemann , 2011Robin et al. 2015), numerous research works have investigated the spatial distribution (Ludemann et al. 2004;Schmidt et al. 2016;Raab et al. 2019), anthracological (charcoal) assemblages (Nelle 2003;Dupin et al. 2017), chronologies of production (Pèlachs et al. 2009;Knapp et al. 2015), and methods of charcoal burning at the CPSs. Among various significant Communicated by F. Bittmann. ...
The rising demand for charcoal from industrialization during the eighteenth century led to the establishment of a large number of charcoal production sites (CPSs) within the woodland ecosystems of Europe. The CPSs still present today can be investigated to assess the past woodland composition in terms of taxa present and timber size, at a high spatial resolution. The present study was done in the northern Vosges region in France, an area of low mountains covered by woods with some important past industrial sites in several of its valleys. We aimed to investigate the possible role of topographical variables such as altitude and aspect in the distribution of CPSs and in the past distribution of tree taxa. Charcoal production sites were found, identified and sampled in four valley catchment areas, and a numerical model of elevation was used to compute the topography of the landscape. A total of 233 sites were recorded and anthracological (charcoal) samples from 121 of these were analysed. The radiocarbon dates of 20 CPSs range between the late 17th and the early twentieth century AD, which corresponds to the peak of industrial activity in this region. The spatial distribution of CPSs appears to increase in density close to streams, and 14 tree taxa were identified in the charcoal records, with Fagus and Quercus being dominant by far. Our results revealed the strong influence of the direction in which the slope faced on the taxon composition of the anthracological spectra. These results suggest that the local woodland stands which were used to supply the charcoal kilns depended on the local environmental conditions. Furthermore, the composition of the woodland has changed significantly over time, with more Pinus sylvestris at present.
... Wood charcoal has long been a key fuel resource for human activities, whose production became of paramount importance during the European industrial revolution (Hammersley 1973;Guo et al. 2015 Knapp et al. 2013Knapp et al. , 2015Fruchart 2014;Schmidt et al. 2016;Carrari et al. 2017;Dupin et al. 2017). In order to assess the history of industrial development (Py-Saragaglia et al. 2017), as well as the ecological consequences of past exploitation on forest dynamics (Ludemann et al. 2004;Ludemann 2010Ludemann , 2011Robin et al. 2015), numerous research works have been investigating the spatial distribution (Ludemann et al. 2004;Schmidt et al. 2016;Raab et al. 2019), anthracological assemblages (Nelle 2003;Dupin et al. 2017), chronologies of production (Pèlachs et al. 2009;Knapp et al. 2015), and technics of production of the CPS Among various significant insights, these investigations have shown that CPS represent valuable archives of past forests' taxa composition and tree dimension at the local scale (i.e., forest stand scale; Deforce et al. 2013;Schmidt et al. 2016), even if human selection of the resources may bias the representativeness of the data (Chabal 2008;Théry-Parisot et al. 2010). Thus, the study of CPS provides relevant information about the anthropic impact on forest dynamics (Ludemann 2010;Deforce et al. 2013;Carrari et al. 2016), and thus on environmental processes linked to land-use and land-cover changes over time, such as soil erosion and nutrient flow (Dotterweich 2008(Dotterweich , 2013Compton and Boone 2010;Harsh et al. 2016;Larsen et al. 2016). ...
... Cependant, les archives sur l'intensité du déboisement par l'industrie sidérurgique, ainsi que la densité spatiale des charbonnières peuvent amener à s'interroger sur un événement de défrichement important au cours du XIXème siècle (ch.3 Tab.1). Cela aurait pu avoir pour effet une augmentation de la dénudation des sols et du transport de sédiments, ainsi qu'une diminution importante des apports en MO par la litière des arbres (Py-Saragaglia et al. 2017;Gallay et al. 2018). L'extension de nos travaux à des bassins versants proches de la Zinsel du Nord, n'ayant pas été exploitée pour la production de charbon, permettrait de réaliser des comparaisons significatives et d'identifier dans quelle mesure l'histoire de la végétation d'un bassin versant se répercute sur les caractéristiques actuelles des écosystèmes, terrestres et aquatiques. ...
Au cours de l’holocène, les activités humaines ont continuellement affecté le fonctionnement des écosystèmes naturels et ont aujourd’hui un impact à l’échelle globale. La situation actuelle est notamment préoccupante pour l’état des écosystèmes d’eau douce, mais les activités locales historiques peuvent également toujours avoir un impact sur ces écosystèmes et sont très rarement pris en compte dans la gestion des cours d’eau. Les ruisseaux de têtes de bassin versant, dont le fonctionnement est basé sur les apports de matière organique terrestre, sont particulièrement sensibles aux usages des territoires adjacents et sont donc susceptibles d’être actuellement affectés par des stress d’origine historique. Il semble donc pertinent d’identifier de tels effets des activités passées sur les milieux dulçaquicoles et d’en comprendre les mécanismes (persistance des perturbations dans le paysage, résistance/résilience des milieux naturels). Durant ce doctorat, nous avons mené une étude prospective in situ pour tenter de déterminer si les héritages d’éventuelles activités historiques dans des paysages de tête de bassin versant peuvent influencer la qualité écologique actuelle des ruisseaux locaux. Pour cela, nous avons associé une approche d’écologie historique des paysages (anthracologie, étude de cartes anciennes, …) et une étude des paramètres biotiques et abiotiques des ruisseaux. Respectivement, le premier aspect avait pour but d’étudier l’histoire des écosystèmes forestiers au cours des derniers siècles et de référencer des aménagements anthropiques anciens (zones déboisées, sites de production de charbon, habitations, étangs) dans ces milieux. Le second aspect consistait à déterminer l’état écologique des ruisseaux par une approche multiparamétrique. Les résultats de cette approche menée sur des bassins versant forestiers du massif des Vosges du Nord ont révélé que ces ruisseaux, sur un territoire à la naturalité importante, présentent dans leur ensemble une bonne qualité écologique. Si la présence d’étangs d’âges variables impacte les communautés d’invertébrés benthiques, les écarts au bon état écologique sont très probablement d’origines contemporaines, comme des rejets urbains ou des pluies acides. Néanmoins, l’exploitation de la forêt pour la production de charbon de bois jusqu’au début du XXème siècle a engendré l’existence de milliers de sites de charbonnières qui semblent influencer la disponibilité du phosphore dans l’environnement. De plus, la dynamique forestière semble avoir été conditionnée par la gestion sylvicole, avec par exemple une composition floristique actuelle plus riche en résineux que par le passé (avant le charbonnage). Ces aspects nous amènent à penser que les activités anthropiques ont en partie influencé la composition des apports en matière organique vers les ruisseaux. Nous pouvons conclure que la construction d’étangs et le charbonnage historique réalisés dans ces forêts influent sur les caractéristiques des ruisseaux en parallèles des stress actuels. Ainsi, ce doctorat ouvre des pistes fortes de recherche à propos des flux de nutriments dans les compartiments aquatiques et terrestres, sous influence des charbonnières, pour mieux comprendre l’impact réel de cette pratique au cours du temps.
... From the aspect of palaeoenvironmental proxies, mountain areas are characterized by local sedimentation systems, often disturbed by catastrophic events, that either need to be studied by combining a number of discontinuous colluvial layers (Larsen et al. 2013) or by using more continuous off-site records like peats or alluvial sediments (Matschullat et al. 1997;Bebermeier et al. 2018). In spite of these methodical obstacles, recent studies have highlighted the importance of peripheral areas, such as mountain ranges, mires, and sandy areas, either to supply medieval to pre-industrial centers with raw materials (ores, timber, tar) and energy (charcoal) (Knapp et al. 2013;Raab et al. 2015;Py-Saragaglia et al. 2017), or to produce energy-consuming goods like potash and glass (Cílová and Woitsch 2012;Östlund et al. 1998;Kirsche 2014). While previous studies have focused on the technology and composition of different Late Medieval glass types and their attribution to distinct regions in Germany (Wedepohl and Simon 2010) or Bohemia (Cílová and Woitsch 2012;Cílová et al. 2015), case studies on the spatial organization of the glass production sites and their environmental impact including geoarchaeological research and geophysical prospection are rather cursory in Bohemia (Křivánek 1995;Schmitt et al. 2006;Seidel et al. 2013;Horák and Klír 2017) but also beyond (Riols 1992). ...
Since the twelfth century, forest areas in the upper reaches of the low mountain ranges of central Europe provided an important source of wood and charcoal especially for mining and smelting as well as glass production. In this case study from a site in the upper Erzgebirge region (Ore Mountains), results from archeological, geophysical, pedo-sedimentological, geochemical, anthracological, and palynological analyses have been closely linked to allow for a diachronic reconstruction of changing land use and varying intensities of human impact with a special focus on the fourteenth to the twentieth century. While human presence during the thirteenth century can only be assumed from archeological material, the establishment of glass kilns together with quartz mining shafts during the fourteenth century has left behind more prominent traces in the landscape. However, although glass production is generally assumed to have caused intensive deforestation, the impact on this site appears rather weak compared to the sixteenth century onwards, when charcoal production, probably associated with emerging mining activities in the region, became important. Local deforestation and soil erosion has been associated mainly with this later phase of charcoal production and may indicate that the human impact of glass production is sometimes overestimated.
